Feeding mechanism.



PATENTED JUNE 30; 1903..

P. B. PHASE.

FEEDING MECHANISM. I APPLICATION FILED mv.5, 1e9o no MODEL.

, I. lal l a i a g un INVENTOK' a? @30 A TTORNE YJI' m: spams FEYERS co. PHOTOLITNO. WASHINGTON n c UNITED STATES PATENT R? Patented JuneBO, 1903.

OFFICE.

FRANKLIN B. PEASE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO BOUTEI JL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORA- TION or NEW YORK.

FEEDING MEICHANFISM.

SPECIFICATIONformingpart of Letters Patent No. 732,651, dated June 30, 1903.

Applicatioh filed November 5, 1900. Serial No. 35,581. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,-

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN B. PEASE, a

citizen of theUnited States, and a resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsinFeedingMechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to feeding mechanlsms.

The object of the invention is to provide an accurate feeding mechanism for delivering objects.

The invention consists in the devices and combinations hereinafter described and r5 claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig; 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4. is a plan view of a portion of a feeding-ring.

This feeding mechanism hereinafter particularly describedis adapted for feeding objects of many kinds; but asan example of its use it is herein described in connection with one form of vegetable or-apple slicer, not, however, intending to limit its employment to use with that form only.

A is a table supporting a suitable slicing o'mechanism. Upon this table is a rotating member, preferably'in ahorizontal plane,cousisting of a ring 13, supported upon and held in position by stationary rollers b, whereby the ring is capable of rotary movement upon the table. This rotating member has a series of movable compartments, preferably extending inward from the ring B, which are a series of sweeps b for carrying the vegetables or apples that are to be sliced to the slicing 40 devices from the point of their reception from the feeding mechanism. The rotating member or ring B, as shown, is, in fact, a carrierdrum carrying the sweeps b.

The slicing-knives of the device are set in a manner well known across an aperture in the table, so that as the compartments or sweeps pass across the set of knives the apples are sliced and the slices fall between the knives through the aperture into a suitable receptacle underneath. The center within the inner ends of the sweeps b isa raised portion B of the table. (Shown in Figs.2 and 3.) The ring 13 has on its under side gearteeth b (see Fig. 1,) which mesh with a gearwheel d upon the shaft of a hand-wheel D, whereby on turning the hand-wheel the ring B is revolved. When apples are delivered into the channel or ring-like space between the raised center B. and the ring B, they fall into the compartments or spaces between the sweeps and are pushed by the sweeps around the channel in which the sweeps move. As the ring revolves the apples are brought to the set of knives. C and are sliced thereby.

It is important to deliver apples to a cutting mechanism, andfparticularly to a cutting mechanism of this class, in such a way that as nearly as possible apples shall be delivered one at a time to the mechanism that carries the applesto the knives. For this purpose and for the general purpose of the accurate feeding of suitable objects I have devised the novel means new to be set forth.

A fiat base or back plate E is set at one side of the feed-wheel hereinafter described either vertically or preferably at an angle to a vertical plane, which may be forty-five degrees, more or less, and in its upper portion is an aperture or slot '6, through which the apples or vegetables are delivered to the slic- 8o ing mechanism, in many cases by the employment of a chute e. The chute 6" may or may not be employed, according to the form of the slicing mechanism. The base E may, if desired, be vertical, in which case the arms or sweeps may be modified to suit this condition. For instance, they may be quite wide in order properly to retain the objects to be fed. Upon the base E and in a parallel plane thereto is a disk-like "rotary member or car- 0 rier consisting of a feeding wheel or ring F, which rides and revolves freely upon stationary rollers f, convenientlysupported-as, for instance, ,by the base-piece E. The rotary member or feed-wheel is therefore disposed at an angle to the vertical axis of the other or vertical member B. The carrier includes arms or equivalent means for engaging and moving the objects to be fed to a suitably-situateddelivery-point. Thesearms are suitably spaced and form aseries of spaced open-sided pockets on the periphery of the feed-wheel. Extendingiuwardlyfromthe innor periphery of the ring F in the preferred form of my feeder are a series of arms f, that may be curved, if desired, and that when the ring F is revolved successively cross an aperture 6 in the base E or back plate, which last terminates adjacent to the highest point of the ring or wheel. I prefer the aperture to be in the upper part of the base. A concave hopper G, inclined so that the vegetables or apples therein move automatically toward the base E and inside the lower portion of the ring I is suitably connected to the base E, as by the straps g, and the outer end of the hopper is supported in a suitable manner, as by the leg g. Vegetables orapples set in the hopper G are when the ring F is revolved picked out from the mass by the armsf and are carried upward until they fall through the aperture 6 and pass to the slicing mechanism. The hopper G is therefore beneath or on the lower side of the wheel F and has its inner face concentric with the periphery of said wheel. So much of the sides of the hopper as extend above the horizontal diameter of the feed-wheel constitute a guard-plate g for the hopper on both sides or on one side only of the feed-wheel.

The arms f are curved, so as to be concave on the side of the direction of motion, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 2. In order the better to retain the objects to be cut, the arms f are proportioned in length and in the concavity of the face to the average size of the vegetable or apple that is to be fed by the device, and in order that more than one such vegetable shall not be delivered by any arm I provide near the top of the base E and near the beginning of the opening etherein one or more projections e", that extend from the surface of the base E and are, of course, stationary. These are of moderate height and pass through notches or slots f in the under sides of the arms f and are set so far from the inner edge of the ring F that an average-sized vegetable or apple can pass between the projections and the inner edge of the ring, while if more than one vegetable or apple is supported upon the arm the outer one will be raised and moved by the projections 6 and will be forced over the inner end of the arm f and fall back to the mass of apples or vegetables at the bottom of the base E, ready to be engaged by another arm.

In order to provide for modifying the feeding, I make use of a slide f preferably of thin sheet metal and preferably pivoted to the face of the base E, so that by turning the slide upon its pivot it may be moved to cover more or less of the opening 6 at the end thereof which the apples first meet in their movement bythe arms f. According as the slide covers more of the opening e the ability of the arm f to retain the apple becomes less, and consequently the less frequent will become the feeding. It is obvious that there is a position to which the slide can be moved that will prevent the feeding of any apples or vegetables through the opening 6 and that when the slide covers no part of the opening 6 (when the parts are of the proportions shown in the drawings) fewer apples can roll from the arms before being carried to the opening 6. In fact, when the slide covers no part of the opening 6 every arm f will carry an apple to the opening and deliver it therethrough to pass to the slicing mechanism. The slide f determines the point at which the apples or other objects to be fed will be discharged from the feed-wheel to the slicer or back to the hopper, according to the position of the slide. A large quantity of apples may be put into the chute Grand may fill it to the top, in which case it will be noticed that the opening 6 is still above the top of the mass of apples. When the ring F is revolved, apples lying against the base E are carried by the arms f to the opening 6 and are delivered therethrough, and this delivery will continue until the last apple in the chute is discharged through the opening 6, and consequently no attention is required to see that a particular quantity of apples is kept in the chute nor is it possible for the quantity of apples to jam the machine and interfere with its action. The arms or sweeps f may extend outward from the wheel or ring or may, as I prefer, extend inward therefrom. The apples are carried up the inclined plane of the base E, whereby the apples are held gently by the arms f and are then delivered from substantially the highest point to which they are lifted. The surplus apples drop off from the arms or sweeps before they reach the delivcry-point.

The feed wheel or ring F is supported in any suitable manner, such as the preferred manner hereinbefore described, and is revolved by any suitable mechanism, preferably, of course, by the same mechanism by which the slicer is operated, and for this purpose upon the shaft cl of the driving-wheel D is set a sprocket-wheel cl, and upon another shaft f another sprocket-wheel f is set and is connected with the sprocket-wheel d by means of a sprocket-chainf On the shaft f is a spur-wheel f that meshes with teeth f upon the ring F. Consequently on turning the wheel D the ring F is revolved. It is obvious that by varying the sizes of the sprocket-wheels d and f the relative speeds of rotation of the ring F with reference to the shaft d and of the hand-wheel D may be adjusted as desired, and consequently the rate of feeding the apples or other vegetables to the slicing mechanism may be propertioned as desired. In the drawings twelve sweeps b are shown and eight armsf. By

Ioc

this proportion of sweeps and arms it is rendered substantially certain that no more than one apple will be moved to the knives by any sweep b. By varying the relative sizes of the sprocket-wheels the speed of movement of the armsf may be increased, so that one apple can be delivered therefrom to each sweep b, or the rate of delivery may be reduced if it is beyond that produced by the exact construction shown. In this mechanism, therefore, there is means for relatively timing the slicing mechanism and the rotary feeding member, which latter by the timing connections between the two automatically takes, carries, and delivers, singly or in separated parts, fruit or other material from the hopper at intervals into relatively timed movable compartments of the rotating memher or slicer. This result is attained by timing the rotation of the feed-Wheel relatively to the rotation of the slicing-wheel, so as to cause a registry of the pockets on the feedwheel with the spaces between the sweeps on the drum or slicing-wheel.

The base E and the hopper G together form the total hopper, and the hopper where a wheel, such as F, is used conforms at the lowest portion of the base to the curvature of the wheel.

hat I claim is 1. In an automatic feeding device, the combination with a rotating member of a slicing member located in a horizontal plane, of a feed-wheel disposed at an angle to the vertical axis of said member, and spaced pockets carried by said wheel and adapted to automatically take, carry and deliver objects from a hopper at intervals into relatively timed movable compartments of said rotating member; substantially as described.

2. In an automatic feeding device, the combination with a rotating member of a machine located in a horizontal plane, and having compartments, of a feed-wheel disposed at an angle to the vertical axis of said member, pockets carried by said wheel and adapted to antomatically deliver material in separated parts into the compartments of said rotating member, and a hopper beneath said wheel having a face concentric to the periphery of the wheel; substantially as described.

3. In an automatic feeding device, the combination witha rotating member ofa machine located in a horizontal plane and having compartments of a feed-wheel disposed at an angle to the vertical axis of said member, pockets carried by said wheel and adapted to antomatically deliver material in separated parts into the compartments of said rotating member, a hopper beneathsaid wheel having a face concentric to the periphery of the wheel, a guard-plate for said hopper extending upwardfrom one side of said wheel, and a back plate at one side of said wheel and said wheel; substantially as described.

4. In afeeding mechanism,the combination of an inclined base, a carrier moving over the surface of said base and having one or more arms, the said base having an opening therethrough adjacent to the highest point of the carrier across which each arm is adapted to pass and an inclined hopper leading to said carrier below its highest point, and a movable slide adapted to change the point of discharge through said opening whereby to discharge objects from the feeding mechanism or back to the hopper according to the position of the slide, substantially as described.

5. In afeedingmechanism,thecombination of an inclined base having an opening therethrough, a carrier moving over the surface of said base and having one or more arms, each arm being adapted to pass said opening, an inclined hopper of which the base forms one of the sides, whereby objects are taken from the hopper by the armor successive arms and are carried forward along the surface of the base and are delivered through the opening,

and a stationary projection set near said open-' ing so that each arm crosses it, whereby objects carried forward by the arm are moved by said projection, substantially as described.

6. In afeeding mechanism,the combination of an inclined base, a wheel having one or more arms passing along said base, the said base having an opening therethrough adjacent to the highest point of the wheel across which each arm is adapted to pass, an inclined hopper adapted to guide objects to the lowest portion of said wheel, and a movable slide adapted to change the point of discharge through said opening whereby to discharge objects from the feeding mechanism or back to the hopper according to the position of the slide,' substantially as described.

terminating adjacent to the highest point of 7. Inafeeding mechanism,the combination of an inclined base having an opening therethrough, a wheel having one or more arms assin over said base each arm bein ada ted to pass said opening, an inclined hopper FRANKLIN B. PEASE.

Witnesses:

C. M. PERKINS, F. BIssELL. 

